Reverse-Searing: The Steak Technique Dominating NYC’s Labor Day Grills

As Sunday evening light lingers over city rooftops, the scent of charcoal and sizzling beef drifts from Astoria stoops to Brooklyn backyards. On this Labor Day weekend, reverse-searing—a two-step cooking method—is quietly taking over New York’s grill game. Instead of throwing a cold rib-eye straight onto fiery grates, city cooks are slipping steaks into low-temperature ovens first, coaxing them to a gentle 120 degrees before finishing with a high-heat sear.

At the Union Square Greenmarket on Saturday morning, butchers from Fleisher’s reported a run on thick-cut bone-in rib-eyes. “Everyone’s asking about reverse-searing,” said manager Luis Peña, handing out advice alongside samples. Home cooks praise the method for producing steaks that are blushing-pink from edge to edge—no more ring of gray, no more guessing games. The technique, long beloved by kitchen pros, is now a fixture in tiny New York kitchens, where oven space is precious and perfection is non-negotiable.

Down in Park Slope, food writer Ana Lin prepped for her annual roof party using the method. “It’s foolproof—even for a crowd,” she said, basting steaks with garlic butter before a final, smoky finish on her portable grill. The approach means less time over the flames and more time with friends—a big win on a holiday meant for lingering outside.

City chefs have embraced the trend, too. At Harlem’s Red Rooster, chef Marcus Samuelsson’s team reverse-sears massive rib-eyes for late-summer specials. “New Yorkers are demanding a steakhouse crust with that perfect medium-rare center,” sous chef Jerome Hicks explained while prepping for the holiday rush. “This is how we deliver.”

As dusk settles tonight, expect a chorus of sizzling grates and the clink of tongs on balconies and brownstone stoops. In a city that rarely agrees on anything, the buzz around reverse-searing might be the closest we get to a Labor Day consensus: for steak, low and slow wins the high-heat race.